EPI Releases and Blogepi@earthpolicy.orgCopyright EPI 20152015-02-25T14:29:08+00:00Blog - THE GREAT TRANSITION IS HERE!http://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/the_great_transition_is_here/
The Earth Policy Institute’s 11th and final book, The Great Transition: Shifting from Fossil Fuels to Solar and Wind Energy will be hitting bookstores on April 20.2015-02-25T13:29:08+00:00Blog - LESTER BROWN RETIRING ON HEELS OF NEW BOOKhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/lester_brown_retiring_on_heels_of_new_book/
2015-01-20T12:35:18+00:00Blog - BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION 5: COLLEAGUES AND THE MEDIAhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/birthday_celebration_5/
2014-12-17T15:14:09+00:00Blog - THE WORLDWATCH INSTITUTE: Excerpt from Breaking New Groundhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/the_worldwatch_institute/
2014-12-03T13:42:33+00:00Blog - BREAKING NEWS…Environmental Prizeshttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/breaking_news_environmental_prizes/
2014-11-17T15:12:07+00:00Blog - OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL: Excerpt from Breaking New Groundhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/overseas_development_council/
2014-11-12T12:26:36+00:00Blog - LAUNCHED!http://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/launched/
2014-10-28T12:38:24+00:00Data Highlight - Plastic Bag Bans or Fees Cover 49 Million Americanshttp://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2014
With the signing of a plastic bag ban in California on September 30, 2014, the number of Americans who will be affected by anti-bag legislation by 2015 climbed to 49 million. California is the first state to ban the bag. Nationwide more than 150 cities and counties are implementing bans or fees in attempts to reduce the estimated 100 billion plastic bags used in the United States each year. For full report, visit the EPI website.2014-10-01T13:51:48+00:00Blog - WHO WILL FEED CHINA?http://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/who_will_feed_china/
2014-09-24T15:15:46+00:00Blog - BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION 4: FARMERS, NONPROFITS, AND UNIVERSITIEShttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/birthday_celebration_4/
2014-09-24T13:59:33+00:00Plan B Update - Fossil Fuel Development in the Arctic is a Bad Investmenthttp://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2014/update125
Even master chess players can miss a great move when they have been primed to look for a different one. To explore this phenomenon, researchers tracked master chess players’ eye movements when given chessboards with different layouts. For full report, visit the EPI website.2014-09-17T16:30:52+00:00Blog - A NOT-SO-LAZY SUMMERhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/a_not-so-lazy_summer/
2014-09-03T12:00:54+00:00Data Highlight - Geothermal Power Approaches 12,000 Megawatts Worldwidehttp://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2014
In 2013, world geothermal electricity-generating capacity grew 3 percent to top 11,700 megawatts across 24 countries. Although some other renewable energy technologies are seeing much faster growth&mdash;wind power has expanded 21 percent per year since 2008, for example, while solar power has grown at a blistering 53 percent annual rate&mdash;this was geothermal's best year since the 2007-08 financial crisis. For full report, visit the EPI website.2014-08-27T13:52:57+00:00Blog - THE PITFALLS AND JOYS OF GROWING TOMATOES: Excerpt from Breaking New Groundhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/growing_tomatoes/
2014-08-12T13:10:06+00:00Blog - DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/distinguished_service_award/
At its annual conference, WorldFuture 2014: What If, in mid-July, the World Future Society honored Lester Brown with its 2014 award “for distinguished service in promoting the vital work of futurists.”2014-08-05T14:37:53+00:00Blog - BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION 3: WITH A SONG TO SINGhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/a_song_to_sing/
2014-07-09T13:15:51+00:00Data Highlight - China’s Solar Panel Production to Double by 2017http://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2014
China installed a world record amount of solar photovoltaics (PV) capacity in 2013. While this was the first time the country was the number one installer, China has led all countries in making PV for the better part of a decade. China now accounts for 64 percent of global solar panel production&mdash;churning out 25,600 megawatts of the nearly 40,000 megawatts of PV made worldwide in 2013&mdash;according to data from GTM Research. For full report, visit the EPI website.2014-07-08T15:30:14+00:00Plan B Update - The Swinging Pendulum of Population Policy in Iranhttp://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2014/update124
The high cost of living and limited economic opportunities in Iran are a boon to birth control, as couples take steps to keep their families small. But the Iranian Parliament has recently debated punishing people who promote contraception. For full report, visit the EPI website.2014-06-25T14:25:40+00:00Blog - BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION 2: HONORING OUR PUBLISHERShttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/honoring_publishers/
2014-06-18T15:00:37+00:00Eco Economy Indicator - China Leads World to Solar Power Record in 2013http://www.earth-policy.org/indicators/C47/solar_power_2014
In the last two years, countries around the world have added almost as much new solar photovoltaics (PV) capacity as had been added since the invention of the solar cell. Nearly 38,000 megawatts of PV came online in 2013, a new annual record. In all, the world's installed PV generating capacity is now close to 140,000 megawatts—enough to power each home in Germany. Falling costs and effective policies continue to drive tremendous growth in solar power. For full report, visit the EPI website.2014-06-18T14:30:11+00:00Data Highlight - Denmark, Portugal, and Spain Leading the World in Wind Powerhttp://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2014
Denmark produced one third of its electricity from the wind in 2013. In no other country has wind's share of annual electricity generation yet topped 30 percent. But the Danes are not stopping there&mdash;they are eyeing a goal of 50 percent wind by 2020, with most of the needed expansion coming from offshore wind farms. Recent experience shows that Denmark's grid can accommodate this much wind power and more: wind-generated electricity exceeded 100 percent of demand the evening of November 3, 2013. For full report, visit the EPI website.2014-05-27T14:02:16+00:00Blog - A SPECTACULAR EVENINGhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/a_spectacular_evening/
2014-05-27T12:47:48+00:00Plan B Update - The Downfall of the Plastic Bag: A Global Picturehttp://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2014/update123
Worldwide, a trillion single-use plastic bags are used each year, nearly 2 million each minute. Usage varies widely among countries, from over 400 a year for many East Europeans, to just four a year for people in Denmark and Finland. For full report, visit the EPI website.2014-05-01T17:08:02+00:00Plan B Update - Plastic Bag Bans Spreading in the United Stateshttp://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2014/update122
Los Angeles rang in the 2014 New Year with a ban on the distribution of plastic bags at the checkout counter of big retailers, making it the largest of the 132 cities and counties around the United States with anti-plastic bag legislation. And a movement that gained momentum in California is going national. More than 20 million Americans live in communities with plastic bag bans or fees. For full report, visit the EPI website.2014-04-22T17:31:45+00:00Eco Economy Indicator - World Wind Power Poised to Bounce Back after Slowing in 2013http://www.earth-policy.org/indicators/C49/wind_power_2014
At the end of 2013, the wind farms installed in more than 85 countries had a combined generating capacity of 318,000 megawatts, which would be enough to meet the residential electricity needs of the European Union's 506 million people. New data from the Global Wind Energy Council show that wind developers built 35,000 megawatts of new generating capacity worldwide in 2013. This was down from 45,000 megawatts installed in 2012—marking only the second time in 25 years that installed capacity increased by less than it did the year before. For full report, visit the EPI website.2014-04-10T14:23:11+00:00Blog - THE SECRET’S OUT!http://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/the_secrets_out/
Lester Brown, EPI’s intrepid president, has just completed 80 cycles around the sun. For a full blog post, please visit the EPI website.2014-04-04T15:04:15+00:00Data Highlight - Generation Gap: Wind Opens Big Lead over Nuclear in Chinahttp://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2014
In China, wind power is leaving nuclear behind. Electricity output from China's wind farms exceeded that from its nuclear plants for the first time in 2012, by a narrow margin. Then in 2013, wind pulled away&mdash;outdoing nuclear by 22 percent. The 135 terawatt-hours of Chinese wind-generated electricity in 2013 would be nearly enough to power New York State. For full report, visit the EPI website.2014-03-04T15:46:51+00:00Plan B Update - Can the World Feed China?http://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2014/update121
Overnight, China has become a leading world grain importer, set to buy a staggering 22 million tons in the 2013–14 trade year, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture projections. As recently as 2006—just eight years ago—China had a grain surplus and was exporting 10 million tons. What caused this dramatic shift? For full report, visit the EPI website.2014-02-25T13:30:07+00:00Blog - A HIT IN HUNGARYhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/hit_in_hungary/
Our Hungarian translator, David Biro, called the other day to let us know that he was planning on translating some of our Updates, Indicators, and Data Highlights. For a full blog post, please visit the EPI website.2014-02-18T18:41:00+00:00Book Byte - U.S.-India: Dealing With Monsoon Failurehttp://www.earth-policy.org/book_bytes/2014/bngch6
It was the fall of 1965 and I had come to India because the USAID mission in New Delhi had asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for someone to help them with an agricultural analysis. What caught my attention in New Delhi right away was the condition of that year’s grain crop. The Indian government officially estimated grain demand for 1965 would be 95 million tons. I soon began to wonder whether a harvest anywhere near this amount would materialize. For full report, visit the EPI website.2014-02-12T18:10:26+00:00Eco Economy Indicator - 2013 Marked the Thirty-seventh Consecutive Year of Above-Average Temperaturehttp://www.earth-policy.org/indicators/C51/temperature_2014
Last year was the thirty-seventh consecutive year of above-normal global temperature. According to data from NASA, the global temperature in 2013 averaged 58.3 degrees Fahrenheit (14.6 degrees Celsius), roughly a degree warmer than the twentieth-century average. Since the dawn of agriculture 11,000 years ago, civilization has enjoyed a relatively stable climate. That is now changing as the growing human population rivals long-range geological processes in shaping the face of the planet. For full report, visit the EPI website.2014-02-04T13:21:20+00:00Blog - THE WAR YEARS: Excerpt from Breaking New Groundhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/war_years_bng/
We were settled away on a good farm and doing well. Then on Sunday, December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Suddenly the United States was at war with both Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany. For a full blog post, please visit the EPI website.2014-02-03T15:10:44+00:00Data Highlight - Arctic Sea Ice Freefall is Mirror Image of Carbon Dioxide Ascenthttp://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2014
The amount of Arctic sea ice has plummeted in recent decades—a bold manifestation of the rise in temperature resulting from the rapid increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. For full report, visit the EPI website.2014-01-23T12:45:54+00:00Blog - WORLD WITHOUT BORDERS: Excerpt from Breaking New Groundhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/world_without_borders/
Excerpt from Chapter 7, Shifting Gears: The Overseas Development Council, from Lester Brown’s autobiography, Breaking New Ground. For a full blog post, please visit the EPI website.2014-01-14T13:08:22+00:00Data Highlight - Many Countries Reaching Diminishing Returns in Fertilizer Usehttp://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2014
When German chemist Justus von Liebig demonstrated in 1847 that the major nutrients that plants removed from the soil could be applied in mineral form, he set the stage for the development of the fertilizer industry and a huge jump in world food production a century later. Growth in food production during the nineteenth century came primarily from expanding cultivated area. It was not until the mid-twentieth century, when land limitations emerged and raising yields became essential, that fertilizer use began to rise. For full report, visit the EPI website.2014-01-08T14:43:03+00:00Blog - RESEARCH OVERVIEW: 2013http://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/research_overview_2013/
For a full blog post, please visit the EPI website.2013-12-30T13:30:38+00:00Data Highlight - As Sea Ice Shrinks, Arctic Shipping Options Expandhttp://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2013
On October 7, 2013, the Nordic Orion bulk carrier ship completed its journey from Vancouver, Canada, to Pori, Finland, having traveled northward around Alaska and through the Northwest Passage. It was the first large commercial freighter ever to make the voyage through these typically ice-covered Arctic waters. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-12-19T14:25:25+00:00Plan B Update - Less Than 3 Percent of Oceans in Marine Parks Despite Recent Growthhttp://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2013/update120
2013-12-11T15:41:23+00:00Blog - BOOK TOURhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/book_tour/
October and November were whirlwind months for Lester Brown as he was out and about promoting his autobiography. For the full blog post, please visit the EPI website.2013-12-11T12:30:43+00:00Plan B Update - India's Dangerous 'Food Bubble'http://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2013/update119
India is now the world's third-largest grain producer after China and the United States. The adoption of higher-yielding crop varieties and the spread of irrigation have led to this remarkable tripling of output since the early 1960s. Unfortunately, a growing share of the water that irrigates three-fifths of India's grain harvest is coming from wells that are starting to go dry. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-12-04T13:01:08+00:00Plan B Update - Climate Change Driving Weather off the Chartshttp://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2013/update118
Meteorologists are calling the typhoon that slammed into the Philippines with 195-mile-an-hour winds on November 8, 2013, the most powerful tropical storm to make landfall on record. Super Typhoon Haiyan had gusts reaching 235 miles per hour and a storm surge swelling as high as 20 feet, so the destruction it left behind matched that of a tornado combined with a tsunami. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-11-18T17:09:05+00:00Blog - ELEMENTARY SCHOOL YEARShttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/elementary_school_years/
2013-11-08T14:23:17+00:00Plan B Update - 2013 to be Record Year for Offshore Windhttp://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2013/update117
Offshore wind power installations are on track to hit a seventh consecutive annual record in 2013. Developers added 1,080 megawatts of generating capacity in the first half of the year, expanding the world total by 20 percent in just six months. Fifteen countries host some 6,500 megawatts of offshore wind capacity. Before the year is out, the world total should exceed 7,100 megawatts. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-10-30T14:59:24+00:00Blog - CELEBRATING LESTER’S AUTOBIOGRAPHYhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/celebrating_lesters_autobiography/
2013-10-22T11:33:24+00:00Data Highlight - U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions Down 11 Percent Since 2007http://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2013
Carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels in the United States peaked at more than 1.6 billion tons of carbon in 2007. Since then they have fallen 11 percent, dropping to over 1.4 billion tons in 2013, according to estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-10-02T14:03:26+00:00Blog - KUDOS TO THE NETHERLANDShttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/kudos_netherlands/
For a full blog post, please visit the EPI website.2013-10-02T13:52:18+00:00Plan B Update - U.S. Nuclear Power in Declinehttp://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2013/update116
Nuclear power generation in the United States is falling. After increasing rapidly since the 1970s, electricity generation at U.S. nuclear plants began to grow more slowly in the early 2000s. It then plateaued between 2007 and 2010—before falling more than 4 percent over the last two years. Projections for 2013 show a further 1 percent drop. With reactors retiring early and proposed projects being abandoned, U.S. nuclear power’s days are numbered. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-09-10T17:01:06+00:00Blog - OUT OF THE BAGhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/out_bag/
Shh! We’re going to let you in on a secret. Lester Brown’s autobiography, Breaking New Ground ... For a full blog post, please visit the EPI website.2013-09-05T12:01:46+00:00Data Highlight - U.S. Bike-Sharing Fleet More than Doubles in 2013http://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2013
The opening of the San Francisco Bay Area bike share on August 29, 2013, brings the combined fleet of shared bikes in the United States above 18,000, more than a doubling since the start of the year. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-08-28T17:00:12+00:00Blog - SUMMERTIME ACTIONhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/summertime_action/
For a full blog post, please visit the EPI website.2013-08-13T13:06:34+00:00Eco Economy Indicator - World Solar Power Topped 100,000 Megawatts in 2012http://www.earth-policy.org/indicators/C47/solar_power_2013
The world installed 31,100 megawatts of solar photovoltaics (PV) in 2012&mdash;an all-time annual high that pushed global PV capacity above 100,000 megawatts. There is now enough PV operating to meet the household electricity needs of nearly 70 million people at the European level of use. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-07-31T16:40:10+00:00Eco Economy Indicator - Fossil Fuel Use Pushes Carbon Dioxide Emissions into Dangerous Territoryhttp://www.earth-policy.org/indicators/C52/carbon_emissions_2013
Increasing global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), a heat-trapping gas, are pushing the world into dangerous territory, closing the window of time to avert the worst consequences of higher temperatures, such as melting ice and rising seas. Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels have grown exponentially. Despite wide agreement by governments on the need to limit emissions, the rate of increase ratcheted up from less than 1 percent each year in the 1990s to almost 3 percent annually in the first decade of this century. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-07-23T17:50:55+00:00Plan B Update - Peak Water: What Happens When the Wells Go Dry?http://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2013/update115
Peak oil has generated headlines in recent years, but the real threat to our future is peak water. There are substitutes for oil, but not for water. We can produce food without oil, but not without water.
We drink on average four liters of water per day, in one form or another, but the food we eat each day requires 2,000 liters of water to produce, or 500 times as much. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-07-09T13:57:13+00:00Plan B Update - Farmed Fish Production Overtakes Beefhttp://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2013/update114
The world quietly reached a milestone in the evolution of the human diet in 2011. For the first time in modern history, world farmed fish production topped beef production. The gap widened in 2012, with output from fish farming—also called aquaculture—reaching a record 66 million tons, compared with production of beef at 63 million tons. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-06-12T15:37:29+00:00Data Highlight - China’s Growing Hunger for Meat Shown by Move to Buy Smithfield, World’s Leading Pork Producerhttp://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2013
Half the world’s pigs—more than 470 million of them—live in China, but even that may not be enough to satisfy the growing Chinese appetite for meat. While meat consumption in the United States has fallen more than 5 percent since peaking in 2007, Chinese meat consumption has leapt 18 percent, from 64 million to 78 million (metric) tons—twice as much as in the United States. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-06-06T18:15:39+00:00Blog - NEW ADDITIONShttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/new_additions/
2013-06-03T13:20:10+00:00Blog - 12 YEARS!http://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/12_years/
Where has the time gone? It seems like only a few weeks ago we were moving into our office space. The carpeting had not arrived and the floors were more than dusty. Only some furniture had arrived, mostly in Lester’s office, so the rest of us were using rented chairs and folding tables. The computers and phones, though, were set up and we were ready for action. For a full blog post, please visit the EPI website.2013-05-20T13:58:49+00:00Plan B Update - Dozens of U.S. Cities Board the Bike-Sharing Bandwagonhttp://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2013/update113
When New York City opened registration for its much anticipated public bike-sharing program on April 15, 2013, more than 5,000 people signed up within 30 hours. Eager for access to a fleet of thousands of bicycles, they became Citi Bike members weeks before bikes were expected to be available. Such pent-up demand for more cycling options is on display in cities across the United States&mdash;from Buffalo to Boulder, Omaha to Oklahoma City, and Long Beach in New York to Long Beach in California&mdash;where shared bicycle programs are taking root. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-05-14T14:07:56+00:00Blog - BUSY IN THE CITYhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/busy_in_the_city/
The Institute’s most intrepid researcher, Lester Brown, has been quietly making a splash speaking at select events in the DC area over the past few months on the findings in his recent book, Full Planet, Empty Plates. For a full blog post, please visit the EPI website.2013-05-01T11:00:17+00:00Plan B Update - Bike-Sharing Programs Hit the Streets in Over 500 Cities Worldwidehttp://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2013/update112
Politicians, lobbyists, and tourists alike can ride bicycles along a specially marked lane between the White House and the U.S. Capitol, part of the 115 miles of bicycle lanes and paths that now crisscross Washington, DC. In Copenhagen, commuters can ride to work following a “green wave” of signal lights timed for bikers. Residents in China’s “happiest city,” Hangzhou, can move easily from public transit onto physically separated bike tracks that have been carved out of the vast majority of roadways. Welcome to the era of the Bike Share. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-04-25T16:44:18+00:00Blog - EARTH DAY TODAYhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/earth_day_today/
http://www.earth-policy.org/images/uploads/blog_images/LB_USDA.jpg2013-04-22T11:00:07+00:00Blog - IT’S A GIRL….AND A BOY!http://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/_babies/
2013-04-17T11:00:14+00:00Eco Economy Indicator - After Record 2012, World Wind Power Set to Top 300,000 Megawatts in 2013http://www.earth-policy.org/indicators/C49/wind_power_2013
Even amid policy uncertainty in major wind power markets, wind developers still managed to set a new record for installations in 2012, with 44,000 megawatts of new wind capacity worldwide. With total capacity exceeding 280,000 megawatts, wind farms generate carbon-free electricity in more than 80 countries, 24 of which have at least 1,000 megawatts. At the European level of consumption, the world's operating wind turbines could satisfy the residential electricity needs of 450 million people. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-04-02T18:36:44+00:00Data Highlight - Falling Gasoline Use Means United States Can Just Say No to New Pipelines and Food-to-Fuelhttp://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2013
Freeing America from its dependence on oil from unstable parts of the world is an admirable goal, but many of the proposed solutions—including the push for more home-grown biofuels and for the construction of the new Keystone XL pipeline to transport Canadian tar sands oil to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast—are harmful and simply unnecessary. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-03-28T19:00:06+00:00Blog - PEOPLE IN ACTION 2012http://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/people_in_action_2012/
2013-03-19T13:00:30+00:00Data Highlight - Iowa and South Dakota Approach 25 Percent Electricity from Wind in 2012: Unprecedented Contribution of Wind Power in U.S. Midwesthttp://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2013
Defying conventional wisdom about the limits of wind power, in 2012 both Iowa and South Dakota generated close to one quarter of their electricity from wind farms. Wind power accounted for at least 10 percent of electricity generation in seven other states. Across the United States, wind power continues to strengthen its case as a serious energy source. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-03-14T12:30:10+00:00Eco Economy Indicator - Where Has All the Ice Gone?http://www.earth-policy.org/indicators/C50/ice_melting_2013
As the earth warms, glaciers and ice sheets are melting and seas are rising. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-03-07T11:40:02+00:00Data Highlight - The Energy Game is Rigged: Fossil Fuel Subsidies Topped $620 Billion in 2011http://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2013
The energy game is rigged in favor of fossil fuels because we omit the environmental and health costs of burning coal, oil, and natural gas from their prices. Subsidies manipulate the game even further. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-02-27T19:00:57+00:00Data Highlight - Wind Surpasses Nuclear in Chinahttp://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2013
Wind has overtaken nuclear as an electricity source in China. In 2012, wind farms generated 2 percent more electricity than nuclear power plants did, a gap that will likely widen dramatically over the next few years as wind surges ahead. Since 2007, nuclear power generation has risen by 10 percent annually, compared with wind’s explosive growth of 80 percent per year. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-02-19T15:55:14+00:00Eco Economy Indicator - Warmest Decade on Record Brings Record Temperatures and Weather Extremeshttp://www.earth-policy.org/indicators/C51/temperature_2013
In recent years weather events have whiplashed between the extremes of heat and cold, flooding and drought. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases—largely from the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas—have loaded up in the atmosphere, heating the planet and pushing humanity onto a climatic seesaw of weather irregularities. High-temperature records in many places are already being broken with startling frequency, and hotter temperatures are in store. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-02-13T13:37:55+00:00Book Byte - New Era of Food Scarcity Echoes Collapsed Civilizationshttp://www.earth-policy.org/book_bytes/2013/fpepch1
The world is in transition from an era of food abundance to one of scarcity. Over the last decade, world grain reserves have fallen by one third. World food prices have more than doubled, triggering a worldwide land rush and ushering in a new geopolitics of food. Food is the new oil. Land is the new gold. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-02-07T11:50:28+00:00Plan B Update - Overfishing Threatens Critical Link in the Food Chainhttp://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2013/update111
The fish near the bottom of the aquatic food chain—collectively known as forage fish—are often overlooked, but they are vital to healthy oceans and estuaries. As demand for animal protein has soared over the last half-century, more and more forage fish have been caught to feed livestock and farmed fish instead of being eaten by people directly. A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that current fishing levels are dangerously high—both for the forage fish themselves and for the predators and industries that depend on them. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-01-30T14:31:29+00:00Blog - GREEN INAUGURAL BALLhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/green_inaugural_ball/
EPI had the pleasure of honoring President Obama at the Green Inaugural Ball on Sunday. For a full blog post with pictures, please visit the EPI website.2013-01-23T13:00:50+00:00Eco Economy Indicator - Global Grain Stocks Drop Dangerously Low as 2012 Consumption Exceeded Productionhttp://www.earth-policy.org/indicators/C54/grain_2013
The world produced 2,241 million tons of grain in 2012, down 75 million tons or 3 percent from the 2011 record harvest. The drop was largely because of droughts that devastated several major crops—namely corn in the United States (the world’s largest crop) and wheat in Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Australia. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-01-17T13:00:57+00:00Blog - OUTREACH 2012http://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/outreach_2012/
Outreach is an essential part of the mission of the Earth Policy Institute (EPI). With an in-house team of three people, we work to get EPI’s research into the hands of those who can use it. For a full blog post, please visit the EPI website.2013-01-08T18:32:23+00:00Data Highlight - China’s Rising Soybean Consumption Reshaping Western Agriculturehttp://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2013
Global demand for soybeans has soared in recent decades, with China leading the race. Nearly 60 percent of all soybeans entering international trade today go to China, making it far and away the world’s largest importer. For full report, visit the EPI website.2013-01-08T15:02:01+00:00Blog - EUROPEAN LAUNCHINGShttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/european_launchings/
With the pressure of writing two books this year, Lester Brown has kept his travel to the bare minimum. Nevertheless, he managed a weeklong trip to Europe following Thanksgiving. For a full blog post, please visit the EPI website.2012-12-26T12:00:48+00:00Plan B Update - Expanding Dust Bowls Worsening Food Prospects in China and Africahttp://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2012/update110
2012-12-20T16:40:28+00:00Blog - 2012 RESEARCH OVERVIEWhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/2012_research/
In this spot, we often talk about happenings at Earth Policy other than our research. But at this time of the year, we wanted to give you a sense of what our research team has produced in 2012. For a full blog post, please visit the EPI website.2012-12-19T12:00:02+00:00Data Highlight - World Nuclear Electricity Generation Down 5 Percent Since 2006http://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2012
World nuclear electricity-generating capacity has been essentially flat since 2007 and is likely to fall as plants retire faster than new ones are built. In fact, the actual electricity generated at nuclear power plants fell 5 percent between 2006 and 2011. For full report, visit the EPI website.2012-12-13T16:30:30+00:00Blog - UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND KUDOShttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/umd_kudos/
2012-12-11T16:47:43+00:00Eco Economy Indicator - Taking Stock: World Fish Catch Falls to 90 Million Tons in 2012http://www.earth-policy.org/indicators/C55/fish_catch_2012
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) projects that the world&rsquo;s wild fish harvest will fall to 90 million tons in 2012, down 2 percent from 2011. This is close to 4 percent below the all-time peak haul of nearly 94 million tons in 1996. The wild fish catch per person has dropped even more dramatically, from 17 kilograms (37.5 pounds) per person at its height in 1988 to 13 kilograms in 2012&mdash;a 37-year low. For full report, visit the EPI website.2012-11-19T14:45:44+00:00Plan B Update - Dust Bowl Revisitedhttp://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2012/update109
2012-11-16T18:01:07+00:00Blog - ...QUICK FACTShttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/...quick_facts/
2012-11-13T13:00:49+00:00Blog - VIDEO: FULL PLANET, EMPTY PLATEShttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/video_full_planet_empty_plates/
2012-11-05T12:30:54+00:00Plan B Update - The Great Transition, Part II: Building a Wind-Centered Economyhttp://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2012/update108
2012-10-31T12:15:27+00:00Plan B Update - The Great Transition, Part I: From Fossil Fuels to Renewable Energyhttp://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2012/update107
As fossil fuel prices rise, as oil insecurity deepens, and as concerns about pollution and climate instability cast a shadow over the future of coal, a new world energy economy is emerging.2012-10-25T11:45:03+00:00Data Highlight - By the Numbers – Data Highlights from Full Planet, Empty Plateshttp://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2012
More than 150 data sets accompany Lester R. Brown’s latest book, Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity. These tables and graphs help to explain the precarious situation in which humanity finds itself, as the world leaves an era of food surpluses and enters one of food scarcity. For full report, visit the EPI website.2012-10-17T13:45:35+00:00Blog - THE DUST BOWLhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/the_dust_bowl/
Ken Burn’s new film The Dust Bowl, a two-part, four-hour documentary airs on PBS November 18 and 19, 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET (check local listings). The film chronicles this 1930s environmental catastrophe that destroyed the farmlands of the Great Plains.2012-10-16T12:15:00+00:00Data Highlight - Arctic Sea Ice in Free Fallhttp://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2012
The North Pole is losing its ice cap. Comparing recent melt seasons with historical records spanning more than 1,400 years shows summer Arctic sea ice in free fall. For full report, visit the EPI website.2012-10-11T16:34:55+00:00Blog - CELEBRATING FULL PLANET, EMPTY PLATEShttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/celebrating_full_planet_empty_plates/
After the arrival of Full Planet, Empty Plates on bookstore shelves last week, Earth Policy Institute hosted a party to celebrate its official release. Along with good food and drink, Lester gave a brief talk on the main points of the book and answered questions from the attendees.2012-10-09T12:15:02+00:00Blog - FULL PLANET, EMPTY PLATEShttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/full_planet/
Lester Brown’s book, Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity examines the underlying causes of what is likely the first link in our modern civilization to show that we have pushed beyond the boundaries of the natural systems that support us. For a full blog post, please visit the EPI website.2012-09-26T16:52:20+00:00Data Highlight - Heat and Drought Ravage U.S. Crop Prospects—Global Stocks Sufferhttp://www.earth-policy.org/data_highlights/2012
September estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) show 2012 U.S. corn yields at 123 bushels per acre, down by a fourth from the 2009 high of 165 bushels per acre. Yields are the lowest since 1995 and well below the average of the last 30 years. The summer heat and drought also hit U.S. soybean yields, which are down 20 percent from their 2009 peak. For full report, visit the EPI website.2012-09-14T15:40:20+00:00Blog - NEW ARRIVAL - FULL PLANET, EMPTY PLATEShttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/new_arrival/
A new book is on its way to bookstores in your area. And we’ve already unloaded and unpacked our shipment! And we’re mailing out advance copies. For a full blog post, please visit the EPI website.2012-09-13T13:00:47+00:00Blog - SILENT SPRING: 50 YEARShttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/silent_spring/
September is a month of mixtures. There is the heady energy of going back to school, which I always enjoyed. It is also the dot on the end of summer and vacations as so many of us head back to work. For a full blog post, please visit the EPI website.2012-09-06T16:00:26+00:00Eco Economy Indicator - World Forest Area Still on the Declinehttp://www.earth-policy.org/indicators/C56/forests_2012
Forests provide many important goods, such as timber and paper. They also supply essential services—for example, they filter water, control water runoff, protect soil, regulate climate, cycle and store nutrients, and provide habitat for countless animal species and space for recreation. For full report, visit the EPI website.2012-08-31T15:30:47+00:00Blog - WORLD WATER WEEKhttp://www.earth-policy.org/?/blog/world_water_week/
Every August, scientists gather in Stockholm to participate in World Water Week and discuss the various issues related to water. For a full blog post, please visit the EPI website.2012-08-29T13:00:37+00:00Plan B Update - Offshore Wind Development Picking Up Pacehttp://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2012/update106
Wind power is the world's leading source of renewable electricity, excluding hydropower, with 238,000 megawatts of capacity installed at the start of 2012. Thus far, almost all of this wind power has been tapped on land; worldwide just 4,600 megawatts of offshore wind farms were operating as of mid-2012. Offshore wind capacity is growing quickly, however, expanding nearly six-fold since 2006. For full report, visit the EPI website.2012-08-16T13:30:20+00:00Plan B Update - Rising Temperature Raising Food Priceshttp://www.earth-policy.org/plan_b_updates/2012/update105
Over the last two months, the price of corn has been climbing. On July 19th, it exceeded $8 per bushel for the first time, taking the world into a new food price terrain. With heat and drought still smothering the Corn Belt, we may well see more all-time highs in coming weeks as the extent of crop damage becomes clearer. For full report, visit the EPI website.2012-08-08T19:26:24+00:00Book Byte - We Can Reforest the Earthhttp://www.earth-policy.org/book_bytes/2012/wotech10_1
Protecting the 10 billion acres of remaining forests on earth and replanting many of those already lost are both essential for restoring the earth’s health. Restoring the earth’s tree and grass cover protects soil from erosion, reduces flooding, and sequesters carbon. For full report, visit the EPI website.2012-07-31T13:07:42+00:00